-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs threatened to hit Palm with patent litigation if the company did not stop poaching valuable employees , according to a newly unsealed court filing -LRB- hat tip to Reuters -RRB- . The document surfaced as part of a lawsuit between former employees of companies like Apple , Google , and Intel over the companies ' no-poaching agreements ; US District Judge Lucy Koh denied parts of a request to keep some documents sealed , revealing Jobs ' comments to Palm CEO Edward Colligan .

According to the document , which was filed late Tuesday , both Apple and Palm hired one another 's employees during Colligan 's tenure between 2003 and 2009 . Colligan claims Jobs called him in August of 2007 -- roughly two months after the public launch of the iPhone -- to propose `` an agreement '' wherein Palm and Apple would not hire employees away from each other . Colligan 's statement notes that the agreement contained a pretty strong `` or else '' clause : `` Mr. Jobs also suggested that if Palm did not agree to such an arrangement , Palm could face lawsuits alleging infringement of Apple 's many patents . ''

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Colligan sent an e-mail response to Jobs expressing his concern over the discussion . `` Your proposal that we agree that neither company will hire the other 's employees , regardless of the individual 's desires , is not only wrong , it is likely illegal , '' Colligan wrote to Jobs on August 24 , 2007 .

Colligan went on to point out that Palm recruits employees based on talent , not because Palm wants to hurt other companies . `` Threatening Palm with a patent lawsuit in response to a decision by one employee to leave Apple is just out of line . A lawsuit would not serve either of our interests and will not stop employees from migrating between our companies . -LSB- ... -RSB- We will both just end up paying a lot of lawyers a lot of money . ''

Jobs replied a few hours later with a much shorter message . `` This is not satisfactory to Apple , '' Jobs wrote . `` I 'm sure you realize the asymmetry in the financial resources of our respective companies when you say : ` We will both just end up paying a lot of lawyers a lot of money . ' ''

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Jobs ended his letter by suggesting Colligan `` take a look at our patent portfolio before you make a final decision here . ''

As noted by MacRumors , Walter Isaacson 's 2011 biography of Steve Jobs made reference to Jobs ' anger at Palm over the hiring of Apple employees , but did not discuss Jobs ' threat of patent litigation .

Other companies involved in the lawsuit -- including Apple , Adobe , Google , Intel , Intuit , and Pixar -- had indeed begun to agree not to cold call each other 's employees at that time . The US Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit against the companies and forced them to dissolve the agreements in 2010 , but the current lawsuit is a civil complaint filed by five former employees .

Current Apple CEO Tim Cook has been ordered by Judge Koh to give a deposition about Apple 's role in the alleged collusion , although Apple argues that only Jobs was involved in the discussion and that Cook had no knowledge of the agreements .

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Steve Jobs threatened to sue Palm over `` poaching '' employees , documents say

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Former Apple CEO proposed agreement not to hire each others employees

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Palm CEO called such a deal `` wrong '' and `` likely illegal ''

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Biograpjy had mentioned Jobs ' anger at Palm , but not lawsuit threats